


Happy Holidays

by SilverRose42



Series: Normal Was Never a Virtue (It Denotes a Lack of Courage) [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Les Misérables - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Merlin (TV), Supernatural, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Avengers Family, Christian Holidays, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Clint is from the midwest, Family Fluff, First Christmas, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hanukkah, Holidays, Jewish Character, Jewish Holidays, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Ornaments, Pagan Holidays, Santa Lucia's Day, Team Holiday, Team as Family, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Yuletide, and it shows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 16:51:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8900167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverRose42/pseuds/SilverRose42
Summary: It’s a magnificent night, really, Darcy knows, as the three of them start the trek home. She can’t see the stars, not here, but she knows they’re shining, up above her. Just as she knows that Gabe’s sitting at the top of the tree in Rockefeller Centre. OR: The one in which the author accidentally writes a 5+1! 5 Holidays that Darcy celebrates with various members of her family, and one that they all celebrate together.





	

It is no secret that Darcy Lewis celebrates Yule instead of Christmas. She burns her log, and chooses to welcome in the solstice each year. But now, well, now she has other people to think of. Others to work with.

~*~

Steve and Bucky both celebrate Christmas, of course. Phil and the twins celebrate Hanukkah. The rest of the team, excluding Thor and T’Challa, celebrates Christmas as well, but it’s non-secular. Darcy thinks that this has caused a certain amount of oddities in the holiday spirit.

~*~

_Holly Jolly Christmas_

~*~

The Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving, at Clint’s insistence. With the tree, come the lights. The very frustrating lights, apparently. It takes them five strands to get the whole tree, and Clint spends the better part of three hours trying to get them right. When Tony offers to build better lights, Clint howls about blasphemy (much to Darcy and Bruce’s amusement), and Natasha has to explain that swearing at the lights is apparently a time honoured Barton Tradition.

“Actually, it usually takes longer,” Clint informs them later. But I guess since I’m only doing a tree this year, it was cut short.”

Tony looks horrified. “What do you mean ‘just a tree?’ Barton?”

Clint blinks at him, before laughing. “You’ve obviously never seen a mid-western Christmas before.”

Darcy grins, and snickers when Tony promptly demands more information. That is, of course, when Francis walks in.

“Uh…what’s going on?”

“Apparently,” Bruce mutters, “The lights.”

~*~

_Our Hearts Are Filled With Joy_

~*~

Later in December, Wanda sets up the Menorah, Pietro following behind her, candles in his hand. What happens next isn’t magical at all. It’s messy and dirty, and causes Darcy to roll up her sleeves, grab Francis, and march into the kitchen.

“How can we help?”

The grins that are sent her way are the brightest Darcy’s ever seen, and she lets the twins instruct her around the kitchen.

And if she and Francis are invited to celebrate with Phil and the twins, well. Darcy’s never been one for telling secrets.

~*~

_Saint Lucy, Bright Mirage_

~*~

A pagan she may be, but she respects her heritage above all else. So when December 13th rolls around, Darcy goes to Church. The previous year, Darcy brought Steve and Bucky with her. This year, she takes Francis’ hand, and they go together. Gabriel joins them at the door to the Church, but Darcy doesn’t comment. Francis doesn’t know any of the words. He stumbles over the Swedish, and forgets the tune at times. Gabriel helps him along, and sings quietly with the rest of them.

The candles flicker all over the church, casting shadows over everyone, as they sing about the dark, about the cold, and about the saint who brought light, who did not burn, but Darcy can’t find it in herself to care about the flickering candles, or the songs echoing around her.

The church is glowing, the people, _her_ people are singing, and Gabe’s hair is gold in the light, and Francis is smiling even though he can’t read his hymnal, and as the choir starts in on För Ridderliga Män, she swears she sees Lucia herself, there behind the choir.

And if Gabe stiffens, and finds a dark haired man at the back of the church, a man she knows is his older brother, well, it is after all a time for new beginnings.

~*~

_Hail, Hail the Holly King_

~*~

Gabriel skips Yule, has every year, but he’s a Christian figure, and it’s a Pagan celebration, so she doesn’t fault him. But she does get the log, and gather everyone about her. Alfred comes bearing food, and Charlie wanders in with cookies. Luna brings her wand, a gentle smile, and a bottle of fire whiskey that won’t last the night. Merlin brings Arthur, and all of Gabriel’s strays come.

The sun sets, crawls down until everything is dark, and silence reigns as the log is lit, as wishes are made, and as the candles are lit. When the silence breaks, there is a new feeling in the group. Better things are to come.

And, as the magic swirls around her, Darcy thinks that maybe, next year, might just be as amazing as this one.

~*~

_O! Night Divine!_

~*~

Darcy attends the Christmas service with Steve and Bucky, because she is in a relationship, and there are goals, and communication is one of them.

And so she attends with them, on Christmas Eve, trying to stand and kneel at the appropriate times, because she does not understand the Catholics at times, but it works. It’s awkward, but she’s between her boys, and the service is in English, and she knows all of these carols. Knows this story.

It’s a magnificent night, really, Darcy knows, as the three of them start the trek home. She can’t see the stars, not here, but she knows they’re shining, up above her. Just as she knows that Gabe’s sitting at the top of the tree in Rockefeller Center.

Actually, she knows that, because she hears Steve groan, and Bucky laugh, and Gabe yell down, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”

And even though they’re the only three people in the world who can see and hear him right now, she finds herself whispering. “Merry Christmas Gabe.”

~*~

_Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas_

~*~

The tree, is perhaps, the worst thing about the decorations in the room. Or the best. Darcy hasn’t really decided. Clint had, apparently, upon hearing that he was the only one in the tower that understood what a Midwestern Christmas entailed, done everything up ‘properly,’ according to him. There were lights _everywhere_.

The tree itself was massive – although it didn’t touch the top of the ceiling, it came close, and there had to be scaffolding to decorate it fully. The decorations were – odd to say the least.

Everyone had dug out their personal ornaments, if they had any. This led to some very old one, curtesy of Steve and Bucky, a few from his travels around the world, from Bruce, and really, just odd ones from everyone else.

Darcy’s Chicago Cubs ornaments had made it up, as had all the Star Wars ones. (Most of her truly personal ones were on the smaller tree on her floor, along with any that Francis had.) Somebody (Darcy was betting Natasha) had gotten a Baby’s First Christmas ornament, crossed out the word baby, and written team instead. Clint had made an actual strand of Cranberries, although, he later admitted that Francis had helped. But none-the-less, it was there, on the tree.

Underneath were all the empty boxes of gifts, as well as the balls of wrapping paper that had gotten under there, curtesy of the Great Wrapping Paper Battle. Steve had made breakfast. Phil and Clint were having a lightsaber battle with empty wrapping paper tubes, while Tony made claims of being able to make real lightsabers. And Darcy curled up on the couch, content, for the moment at least, that everything was perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> As of this January, this series will have hit a full year. I am both proud and astounded of the praise I have gotten. It's been a crazy year, for sure, and it's amazing that we're here again, back at the beginning.
> 
> If I was insulting in any way, to any one, my apologies. That was not my intention.
> 
> Yes, Clint did do up the entire Tower with decorations. Many of them were ugly. If he could have, there would have been about 5 billion lights involved. Because Clint is from the midwest. Yes, Darcy does have Star Wars ornaments, and yes, she also owns a Chicago Cubs ornament. And possible a jersey. And a hat. And she was ecstatic when they won the World Series this year. (And yes, maybe I was as well, how did you guess?)
> 
> There might be a short bit for New Years, but there will definitely be a thing for this series Birthday! January 13th folks. Every character that's appeared in the series so far will show up in that particular extravaganza, and maybe some others.
> 
> Happy Holidays, everyone!
> 
> ~Rose


End file.
